Bensonhurst Saint Anthony is Said to Have Heartbeat

Cal Stansu bought a statue of Saint Anthony of Padua and erected it in his Bensonhurst front yard ten years ago. It remained a mere ornament until a few weeks ago, when Stansu says a miracle happened: the statue started sweating. And then, the statue developed a heartbeat. “I didn’t say anything, but five or six days ago people started bringing it small flowers,” he said. “And people said to me that when they were touching it, they felt a heartbeat.” Italian-American Catholics in the neighborhood have developed such an affinity for the likeness that Stansu was forced to put a protective glass case over the patron saint of lost things, though he allowed reporters to examine the statue wit a stethoscope. They noted that “The statue was warm, though it had been sitting in the sun all day.” Well, who wouldn’t be sweating with a quickened heartbeat after sitting in the sun all day? (Photo: Stuart Seeger/Flickr)